Page 30 of Up to Snow Good
Once clear of the door, Caden pushed it shut. It sealed us in with a suction sound. My ears popped, and the room went pitch black.
He set me on my feet and pulled me to him.
“You’re okay.” He stated it as a fact, but he was wrong.
I was not okay.
I waved my hands but couldn’t see them in front of my face. I reached out behind Caden, but we’d moved away from the door.
I inhaled, but no airreached my lungs.
“Where...” I coughed and sputtered. “Are... we?”
I whizzed and shuddered.
“Amari, baby.” Caden held the side of my face.His breath skated across my lips. “Calm down. Breathe for me.”
“I...” The air was too thin.
The walls vibrated. The low rumble from outside made my heart race.
I turned my head.
Caden brought me back to center.
“Mari.” Caden yelled. “Breathe. We’re safe.”
I sucked in a deep breath. It wasn’t enough.
“That’s it.” He placed one hand on my chest. “Now breathe out.”
I blew a wheezy breath out.
“One more time.” He inhaled. I copied him.
“Out.” I blew a breath out, and my breath slowed.
Caden led me towards a wall. He placed my hand on it and then slid to the ground, guiding me down next to him.
He pulled my bare foot onto his lap and put my lost sock on my foot.
I inhaled again.
“Where are we?”I wasn’t sure why Iwhispered.
“It’s a panic room.” Caden pushed my boots onto my feet. How he was navigating in the dark I had no clue. “Your dad had it built into the mountain.”
“We’re going to be buried alive.” I pushed off of Caden and stood. He pulled me back down and put my other boot on. “We need to get above the snow or we’ll run out of oxygen.”
The rumbling sounds grew, and an object hit the roof. The ground vibratedbeneath my ass. The building swayed around us. I gripped Caden’s thigh.
“Ouch.” He gripped my hand. “Easy with those nails. We’re going to be fine.”
“How do you know?” I asked.
“They built this place to withstand a nuclear bomb.” He caressed my cheek and ran his thumb over my mouth and laid a soft peck on my lips.
He pulled away.
